It's like having a party!

Oh my goodness!  Dawn is a dear and "our shared birthweek" might explain why we always turn out the same on online quizzes and why I want to be just like her when I grow up (except I'm older, so that won't work, will it?)  I better go bake a cake and brew some coffeemake pumpkin pudding and steep some tea--it's a virtual birthday party! Honestly, I can't imagine a year more wonderful than last year.  And I'm looking forward with what St. Therese would call "audacious confidence" to the blessings of the next year. I am so grateful for this community, particularly for the prayers and the friendship of the warm women who daily make my life more beautiful. 

Feast of Elizabeth Ann Seton

It's my name day! And yes, I am an Elizabeth Ann. I used to rather dislike the name "Elizabeth"--my maiden name is Grzymala and that made me "Liz Griz." Even worse were those who insisted on "Lizzer." But now, I've come to appreciate my name. (It helps to pair "Foss" with it.) I'm actually more devoted to St. Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, the barren woman who became the joyful mother. But I've grown rather fond of Mother Seton and she is the saint for whom I was named.

What was the first rule of our dear Savior's life? You know it was to do his Father's will. Well, then, the first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly to do it in the manner he wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will. I know what is his will by those who direct me; whatever they bid me do, if it is ever so small in itself, is the will of God for me. Then, do it in the manner he wills it.

-Elizabeth Ann Seton

Celebrating a Year of Abundance

It began shortly after Karoline was born, I think.  Actually, I got hit over the head with it. Megan was over and we were trying to weed the maternity items out of my closet. As I bent to remove some tops from the bottom shelf/hanging rack, the top shelf/hanging rack groaned under the weight of its burden and heaved itself away from the wall.  I literally got hit over the head with our abundance! We have too much stuff.

Then, the day after Thanksgiving at an extended family party to celebrate birthdays,everyone was talking about how all our babies look so much alike around three months.  At three months, when I know that they will smile on cue, I put them all back in the christening gown and have a portrait made.  All the portraits hang together on a hallway wall. On this particular day, my husband took them all off the wall and mixed them up and challenged our guests to put them in order.  My second son is the only one of the children who was baptized in a different gown.  He was too large for the family heirloom.  But my sister-in-law noticed that another baby was wearing a gown she'd never before seen.

"Why is this baby wearing that gown?"

"Because," I replied, feeling my cheeks grow warm, "I had scheduled the photo and was ready to go and I couldn't find the christening gown.  I borrowed one from Missy."

That was my seventh baby. Couldn't keep track of the christening gown. Too much stuff.

So when I read about A Year of Abundance a few days after the family photo game,I tucked away the icon for later consideration.  I wondered, though, if was I playing to my tendency to be a bit puritanical.

After Thanksgiving, I lost a stash of cash that I'd been squirreling away for eight months. I don't know how or where.  I just can't find it.  And I can't find my cell phone.  And I can't find an i-tunes gift card. And I can't find the Delta level Math-U-See book.

We were organized. Before the baby came. But the truth of the matter is, it's not the baby; you can't stay organized when you have too much stuff. Every time I wonder aloud about our stuff, I say something like, "We have too much stuff.  Why do we have all this stuff?"  To which my four-year-old sagely replies, "We have eight kids!"

It's true, more people, more stuff.  If every child gets two things for Christmas (which is what we did), that's still sixteen more items in the house. And that doesn't count the influx from grandparents, godparents, and aunts.

I found myself, one day shortly before Christmas, in a store with Nicholas. He was begging for something, insisting that he needed it.  "No," I replied, "you don't need it.  We don't need anything.  We have everything we want." Everything we want. Not everything we need, but everything we want.

We live a life of abundance.

My puritanical worries were put to rest when I read about A Year of Abundance on Willa's blog.  Historically, Willa has been good about letting me know if I'm being puritanical;-). And then I read Lindsey's interpretation.

Sallie's first post this year on abundance really reminded me of all our Simple Elegance fairs late last summer. From the kitchen to the rest of the house, we focused on loveliness.  And here was Sallie focusing on beauty while writing about embracing a compact to do without. This caught me a bit off guard since I'd been thinking more about the Depression Motto and less about beauty:

Use it up
Wear it out
Make it do
Do without

Upon further reflection, however, I think I've got a vision for my own year of abundance. If God were to raise his hands over my "stuff" in a gesture like the epiclesis and with that gesture give me the grace to see how He intends me to use it and to do whatever He wants me to with it, the result would be a life of abundance.A life that the Lord intends for us. But it wouldn't be chaotic abundance.  I wouldn't be tripping over Legos in the middle of the night.  I wouldn't be pestering St. Anthony over stuff every day. It would be peaceful, beautiful abundance.

My goal is to take "my stuff" to prayer--to consider all of it prayerfully and to care for it prayerfully, too.  In doing so, I hope to help my family see how abundantly the Lord has provided, how we need nothing and how we bless each other and give God glory when we care well for what we have.

(Oh, and in case you were worrying, I knew exactly where the gown was today for Karoline's picture!)

Feast of Mary

We had a lovely Marian feast celebration last night. Well, sort of.  Mary Beth and I planned a celebration with meaning--I'm not sure how many people actually got it. Nicholas was literally bouncing off the walls (might have had something to do with the large, empty bag of red and green mint M & Ms).  Patrick was more concerned about who's feast day was more celebrated, St. Patrick's or Mary the Mother of God's.  (Mary Beth replied that "Everyone is blogging about my name day--way more than yours."  She seemed to think that the traffic in the blogosphere settled the matter.  She doesn't know that there is a St. Patrick's Fair in the planning.) The big boys inquired about whether the roses were in honor of the Rose Bowl. "Nice touch, Mom."  Anyway, we girls persevered with our vision.

This year, I'm going to use pillar candles for liturgical color on my table.  I found some blue ones at the party store upon Alice's suggestion.  While I was there, I also found some molds to make roses and hearts (The Rose of Jesse and the Immaculate Heart) to put on the cupcakes for the tower. I had planned to do the gumdrop roses in Alice's Jesse Tea, but couldn't find red and green gumdrops after Christmas. So, these molded candies seemed like a good substitute--except that  Mary Beth would really rather do everything Alice's way as much as possible, so she persuaded her dad to find some gumdrops.  He did.  We made both gumdrop roses and candy roses and hearts. Not sure the boys got the significance of any of it, anyway...

But Mary Beth and Katie and I were so pleased with the table that we captured our simple elegance with a photo before the men descended. They did seem to like the steak.  Nicholas complained about the little sticks on his roasted potatoes and couldn't have cared less that rosemary was a Marian herb. The sparkling cider was a big hit. The entire evening made me wonder if the Blessed Mother was ever lonely without a daughter in the house?

Real Quick...

...because I'm still cleaning, so I'm still not blogging ;-).

Helen will be the hostess for the First Loveliness Fair of the new year on the Feast of Mary, the Mother of God.  Please tell us of a mother who has influenced you and helped you to become more like the Blessed Mother.

and Mary Ellen will host the last fair of the old year (even though it will be in the new year) on January 2nd.  Send her links to stories and pictures of your Christmas celebrations.

And...I promise you a list of new fairs for the beginning of the new year, just as soon as I get the schoolroom in order!